Follow Mayo Clinic

Register

Archives

Share this:

September 10, 2012

Mayo Clinic Veterinarian Receives ACLAM Diplomate Certification

By

It’s no small task ensuring that the animals used in medical research on Mayo’s Florida campus are healthy and properly cared for. C. Douglas Page, DVM, PA, the attending veterinarian at Mayo Clinic’s Department of Comparative Medicine in Florida, the supervisor and the staff of animal care technicians, take this responsibility very seriously. He recently took that responsibility to a higher level in working toward and receiving the Diplomate certification from the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine. This is a high honor achieved by passing a rigorous eight-hour exam that certifies that Dr. Page has earned the right to be considered a specialist in the field of laboratory animal medicine.

Dr. Page has been a licensed veterinarian for more than 30 years and has worked with everything from exotic zoo animals to a more recent focus on laboratory animal medicine here at Mayo Clinic. He said it’s rewarding caring for animals that will ultimately help researchers uncover new and better therapies for our patients.

“I have two important responsibilities here,” says Dr. Page. “First, my job is to oversee the health and welfare of all of our animals to ensure our researchers have healthy subjects to work with. I also am responsible for making sure our animals are humanely treated and that we are in compliance with stringent state and federal government guidelines. It’s critical that we maintain a healthy and humanely run animal lab environment.”

“As an independent veterinary practitioner, Dr. Page has provided veterinary care for the research animals at Mayo in Florida for over 20 years,” says Craig Frisk, D.V.M, Ph.D., chair of comparative medicine at Mayo and a Diplomate himself. “During this time, he’s developed a close working relationship with the veterinary staff at Mayo and recently decided to change his career path to the laboratory animal medicine specialty. Becoming a Diplomate in the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine was his ultimate goal in pursuit of this endeavor.”

Dr. Page, who received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Louisiana State University, says this academic advancement was a challenge.

“It took a lot of hard work preparing for this exam with the support of my colleagues and family,” he said. “I’m proud that I was able to earn this certification and exhibit this level of expertise in my field. It is truly an honor to be recognized by my peers for this effort.”